Other proposed uses for the technology include on-orbit space tug services, according to company officials in a March 2015 presentation made in Washington, D.C.[1] In 2014, Lockheed Martin proposed a cargo transport system called Jupiter to NASA under Phase 2 of a program to procure commercial cargo delivery services to the International Space Station after 2017.
[2] Lockheed publicly announced the program in March 2015, and released an overview of the spacecraft and space cargo services they envision.
However, in contrast to the typical cargo resupply spacecraft built prior to 2015, the Jupiter tug is proposed to remain in orbit following the completion of the initial delivery, where it would be available to meet up with a subsequent Atlas V/Exoliner and repeat the process.
[5] Jupiter is to be derived in part from designs of two earlier Lockheed Martin spacecraft: Jupiter is to include a robotic arm — which Lockheed intends to procure from MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) — based on MDA's earlier development of Canadarm, the robotic arm technology previously used on the Space Shuttle.
Exoliner is based on the earlier ESA-developed Automated Transfer Vehicle, and is to be jointly developed with Thales Alenia Space.
[2][3][6] On 12 March 2015, Lockheed Martin announced the spacecraft and its proposal for Commercial Resupply Services Phase 2, which utilized the vehicle.
Lockheed Martin's goal is to launch a single Jupiter, which will be reused for each on-orbit delivery, and the ostensibly less expensive cargo units would be expended through atmospheric reentry.